Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Raleigh Exec: The Raleigh Executive Jetport @ Sanford-Lee County, formerly the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport , is a public, general aviation airport in the USA, located seven miles (11 km) northeast of Sanford
and about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Cary
, North Carolina.
The jetport is situated on 700 acres, operates one 6,500-foot runway and specializes in corporate and recreational flights into the Research Triangle Region — an area that includes Raleigh
, Cary
, Chapel Hill
, Durham
and the Research Triangle Park
. The facility is designated by the Federal Aviation Administration
as a reliever airport for Raleigh-Durham International Airport
(RDU).
Raleigh Exec hosts several community-oriented special events each year. The largest one, Family Day @ the jetport, is an annual aviation festival held on the second Saturday of October, featuring free plane rides for children by the EAA Young Eagles
, historic and military aircraft, flyovers and other festival-type food and activities. In 2010, the free event attracted about 5,500 visitors.
offering maintenance, instruction and inspections; Time Saver Aviation, an on-demand air carrier; and the Wings of Carolina Flying Club, one of the oldest flying clubs in the nation. Founded in 1961, Wings of Carolina has more than 300 members from the Research Triangle, Southern Pines
and Fayetteville
areas.
As an official FAA Testing Center, Raleigh Exec offers licensure and certification testing for aviation and other federal agencies.
, the Raleigh
outer beltline. When one phase of construction is complete in 2012, I-540 will intersect U.S. 1 about 15 miles from the airport exit.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA and IATA, Raleigh Exec is assigned TTA
by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA
, which assigned TTA to Plage Blanche Airport in Tan-Tan
, Morocco
. The airport's ICAO
identifier is KTTA.
Sanford, North Carolina
Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,220 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.-Geography:Sanford is located at ....
and about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Cary
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
, North Carolina.
The jetport is situated on 700 acres, operates one 6,500-foot runway and specializes in corporate and recreational flights into the Research Triangle Region — an area that includes Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, Cary
Cary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, Durham
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...
and the Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park
The Research Triangle Park is a research park in the United States. It is located near Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill, in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina...
. The facility is designated by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
as a reliever airport for Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is a public international airport located 4.5 miles northeast of the town of Morrisville in suburban Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The airport covers and operates three runways, providing direct service to 40 domestic and international...
(RDU).
Raleigh Exec hosts several community-oriented special events each year. The largest one, Family Day @ the jetport, is an annual aviation festival held on the second Saturday of October, featuring free plane rides for children by the EAA Young Eagles
Young Eagles
Young Eagles is a program created by the US Experimental Aircraft Association designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating children about aviation. This program is offered free of charge with donations and...
, historic and military aircraft, flyovers and other festival-type food and activities. In 2010, the free event attracted about 5,500 visitors.
Businesses at Raleigh Exec
Several companies operate at the jetport. They include B-Bar-D Aviation, a light-sport aircraft sales and training company; Sanford Aircraft Services, the FBOFixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
offering maintenance, instruction and inspections; Time Saver Aviation, an on-demand air carrier; and the Wings of Carolina Flying Club, one of the oldest flying clubs in the nation. Founded in 1961, Wings of Carolina has more than 300 members from the Research Triangle, Southern Pines
Southern Pines, North Carolina
Southern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 10,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Southern Pines is located at ....
and Fayetteville
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....
areas.
As an official FAA Testing Center, Raleigh Exec offers licensure and certification testing for aviation and other federal agencies.
Future improvements
Strategic plans have been developed to increase the existing corporate hangar space by 20 acres and lengthen the runway to 8,500 feet (with the weight capacity increasing from 80,000 to 100,000 pounds). Other changes affecting Raleigh Exec include the ongoing construction of Interstate 540Interstate 540 (North Carolina)
In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 540 and North Carolina Highway 540 share a partially completed interstate grade beltway, also known as the Raleigh Outer Loop, around the city of Raleigh. -Route description:...
, the Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
outer beltline. When one phase of construction is complete in 2012, I-540 will intersect U.S. 1 about 15 miles from the airport exit.
Technical information
Raleigh Exec has a 6,500-by-100-foot runway with a parallel taxiway and a weight capacity of 80,000 pounds. The airport also has full lighting, signage and safety equipment — including an automatic weather observation system (AWOS), instrument landing system (ILS), nondirectional beacon (NDB), ground communicator outlet (GCO) and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast system (ADS-B). Because the ADS-B is located on the jetport grounds, pilots can monitor both ground and air traffic.Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
Location identifier
A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for manned air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programming, weather reports, and related services.-ICAO...
for the FAA and IATA, Raleigh Exec is assigned TTA
by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
, which assigned TTA to Plage Blanche Airport in Tan-Tan
Tan-Tan
Tan-Tan is a city in Tan-Tan Province in southern Morocco. It is a desert town with a small population, with only few claims to fame:*The nearby port, Tan-Tan Plage, or Port of Tan-Tan, about 25 kilometres away from Tan-Tan itself...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The airport's ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
identifier is KTTA.
External links
- Raleigh Exec (official site)
- Raleigh Exec on Facebook (official social media page)
- Wings of Carolina Flying Club (official site)
- NCDOT Airport Information: